sleeve - In Our Nature, José González
Like skirt lengths, pant lengths can, too, fall victim to trends. Remember, trends come and go but style is forever. The photo above shows the classic length for both a trouser hem and a skirt hem. The skirt should fall about 1/2 inch over the top of the knee.
Pants should be kept long enough at the back to touch the top of the heel of the shoe with ease yet short enough in the front to form a break in the line of the pant.
The crease line will be broken 6 inches above the shoe or boot. In other words, the pants will look a little too long in the front while the crease line in the back remains unbroken.
Fashion is a lot like riding a bike. You fall off, you get back up, brush yourself off and try again. Once you learn, you'll never forget.
Question:
Ace Hotel PoolsideThe Coachella Valley city, that was once Golden Age Hollywood’s cottage community for the stars, is reinterpreting itself, very quietly, as a destination for culture, mid-century architecture, art and of course, extremely laid back recreation (a 2003 Condé Nast Traveler edition named Palm Springs one of the top ten global vacation destinations). Sure, there are some kitschy bits geared at a particular tourist set but go with an open mind, participate, have a laugh and open up.
The recession has hit Palm Springs particularly hard. Many modernist homes are for sale at rock bottom prices, hotel room rates can be below advertised and store fronts are vacant. However, with the opening of the hyper cool Ace Hotel, the counter culture community of Joshua Tree only 32 miles northeast and Indio’s annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival growing in popularity, Palm Springs is going to see a new set of inhabitants who are not going to be just passing through.
The Certified Farmers Market at Joshua Tree
Palm Springs City Hall
The road to Joshua Tree
Vintage Corvette 
Ace Hotel
Interior Mount Fuji General Store
Rosa cooking up the love at Ricochet
1. Dior launched his first Christian Dior couturier collection at the age of 42.
2. The reluctant couturier initially broke off negotiations with his investors via telegram due to panic. On the advice of a fortune-teller, he quickly undid the effects of his refusal and negotiations resumed, therein consummating one of the world's greatest Maisons.
3. A love of architecture inspired him to produce clothes that emphasized the 'ethereal appearance' of the female body. He designed clothes that accented the width of the female hips, gave prominence to the bust and demanded presence in a room.
4. He believed the most important feature of his life was his good luck.
5. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Dior was taught, by friends, how to draw and paint. A 'faithful' friend managed to sell 120 francs worth of Dior's fashion sketches and in Dior's own words it was those 120 francs that, '...decided my future then, and were to illuminate my whole life for the future.'.
For more inspiration read: Dior by Dior: The Autobiography of Christian Dior
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My father circa 1965
I am always on the lookout for music that is soothing to the melancholic soul. On a day back in 2003, I asked a co-worker what she was listening to, she said, Nick Drake. Having never heard his music, I eagerly took the headphones she passed and listened intently. That brief encounter not only opened my mind to a world with Nick Drake but also inspired me in a way as a musician to the point of no return.
2003 M. Chapoutier Cornas
Vintage photographs can be picked up for pocket change at flea markets, charity shops, or yard sales, not to mention your family's own attic.
To get the look above, grab some boxes out of the recycling or hit a shoe store, a lot of clients leave the boxes and their lids behind and the staff will be happy to give them to you for free. Don't forget to pick up some bright paint - the little sample sizes are perfect for this project. Mount the pictures on top of the boxes, or cut out the boxes and use them as mats with the pictures attached to the underside.
For an even more unique picture wall do a theme like anonymous pets, 70s fashion or random unknown families.
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I blame North America for my wayward world wanderings and misdirection in life. The misguided values I was taught of always ‘reaching for your dreams’, being ‘all that you can be’, and the idea that who you are is based on what you do for a living, left me searching for an impossibly perfect existence.
Like a good Canadian girl, I followed those values for many years by diligently attending school studies, going to college, and focusing on my career and bank balance. Until one day I found myself wondering what the purpose of it all was for. I had achieved a nice house with nice surroundings and I was well on my way to securing a safe nest egg for the future. Yet this wasn’t all that I could be? What next? A promotion, a husband, 2.3 kids, and a picket fence? This wasn’t my dream and I wasn’t satisfied with the monotony of expected existence.
Grief stricken at the concept of a continuous climb up the corporate ladder and the haunting constraints of future children, I jumped off the traditional wagon of life progression, left a blossoming media career and relocated to London, England.
Starting from scratch by serving 6am coffees to burly tradesmen in a seedy North London café wasn’t the most pleasurable of experiences, but proved an easy tradeoff for the joy of experiencing a new and different culture. My work experience soon led me to slightly more sophisticated office jobs and a sense of the bustling London shuffle of life. The glamour of being in one of the most exciting and active cities in the world was electrifying for my twenty something search for worldly sophistication, yet I was still reaching for some sort of career success that I was told would inevitably follow persistence and hard work. After a few years of squeezing onto rush hour public transport and watching my smile fade into a blur of bustling bodies - all scouring to make their mark in the world, the weariness soon took its toll.
I started to wonder if the feelings I was experiencing were of regret? Everything I had achieved still left me feeling empty. Career progression seemed so much easier to find back in Canada. If I had stayed in my birth country, I would now be a tower of corporate success. Everything that I loved about Canada started calling me back – the fresh air, the open spaces, and the comfort of my family and friends. Yet, in my mind, returning to Canada was to be a step backwards – a signal of failure. Despite my desire to return to an easier life, I forced myself to continue forth.
It wasn’t until I gave it all up again and embarked on a business venture to Spain that I realized my journey was one of necessity to lead me here. Granted, the adventure I undertook was not one of peace, tranquility and fortune – but it did introduce me to an incredible new way of living and a place to finally call home after a 10 year search.
Why do I love Spain so? Because Spain has taught me to just ‘be’. This country prioritizes itself not on living to work, but working to live. I am constantly surrounded by the simple pleasures of good food, good wine and good people – all in no hurry to make their mark on the world, simply enjoying the existence they have. Once I stopped trying to find my place in the world, it came to me. I now realize that I needed my beginnings in Canada to understand a quality of life. But I also needed to live in London to understand that life does not revolve around one of the world’s epicenters. I have finally discarded my preconceived notions of what my life should be, and am concentrating on what my life is.
I went from the comfort and safety of my home country to the big city and bright lights of London England, to my new found spiritual home of Spain. No one knows what I do for a living here. And no one cares. No one cares how much money I have or don’t have. What they do care about is who I am.
Who am I? Without the shackles of a corporate ladder beckoning at my backside, perhaps now I’ll have the time to find out.
Dawn Buckler’s book “STRIPPED IN SPAIN - One woman's journey through foreign relocation, relationship, and renovation disaster” can be purchased at www.dawnandrocco.com.
- Dawn Buckler
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Interiors are all about juxtaposition in '09. Refurbishing and reinvigorating. There are great design inspirations scattered across this great world of ours. Here's a sampling of inspirational chairs from the West Coast of the United States and Canada.
1. Recovered Mid Century Teak, Vancouver, BC - mine
2. Victorian Velvet, Fremont, WA - Sunday Street Sale
3. Modern Chrome Bar Stools, Palm Springs, CA - estate sale
4a. Early '70s Executive Chair - check out the back
4b. An old coffin perhaps, Palm Springs, CA - estate sale
5. 60s Modern, Seattle, WA - yard sale
6. '70s Spanish American Iron Bar Stools - Palm Springs, CA - estate sale
7. '60s Danish Modern Rattan Teak and Leather, Fremont WA - antique mall
8. Velvet Queen Anne, Crescent City, CA - thrift store
9. '70s Purple Velvet, Victoria, BC - thrift store
